Mon 01 May 2023:
Despite the ceasefire, rival forces are still fighting, according to Al Jazeera’s Haitham Uweit, reporting from the capital Khartoum.
“The truce is still going on, despite sporadic military confrontations. A while ago, we heard a warplane carrying out a raid in Khartoum Bahri,” he said.
“The army talked about monitoring movements of the RSF coming to Khartoum, and that it was able to reduce about 55 percent of these forces,” he added.
Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary say they will extend a humanitarian ceasefire another 72 hours, but fighting continues as both sides accuse the other of ceasefire violations.
The truce was slated to end on Sunday, but the two warring parties agreed to extend it another three days.
At least 528 people have been killed and 4,599 wounded since fighting broke out on April 15, the country’s health ministry said, but the UN said the death toll could be much higher.
The conflict has deepened the humanitarian crisis in a country where a third of the population was dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance before the fighting erupted, said Martin Griffiths, UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and UN emergency relief coordinator.
“The scale and speed of what is unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented,” he told the Reuters news agency. “We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan and the broader region.”
Sudanese army: RSF’s combat capabilities reduced
The Sudanese army has claimed to have reduced the RSF’s combat capabilities to 55 percent since the conflict started on April 15.
The armed forces said they thwarted several RSF advances throughout the country, including those from the west, another along the northwestern border, and a third involving vehicles heading from Al-Baghir to Jabal Awliya.
The army blamed the RSF for “sabotaging the country” and “intimidating and plundering citizens”.
It said in the statement on Monday that it will not allow its military structure to be “distorted”.
World Food Programme resumes operations in Sudan
The World Food Progamme (WFP) is resuming its operations in Sudan after a suspension on April 16 after three of its staff were killed during the conflict.
“As the crisis in #Sudan pushes millions into hunger, @WFP is immediately lifting the temporary suspension put in place after the tragic deaths of our team members,” its executive director, Cindy McCain, tweeted.
As the crisis in #Sudan pushes millions into hunger, @WFP is immediately lifting the temporary suspension put in place after the tragic deaths of our team members.
WFP is rapidly resuming our programs to provide the life-saving assistance that many so desperately need right now.
— Cindy McCain (@WFPChief) May 1, 2023
Many aid groups have not been able to operate since the conflict broke out on April 15. The first international aid arrived at Port Sudan on Sunday.
The United Nations said on Sunday that it is working closely with Egyptian authorities to help people arriving at the border escape the conflict in Sudan after complaints the international response to the crisis had been lacking.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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